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Vesuvius carried three 15-inch (38-cm) cast iron pneumatic guns,
mounted forward side-by-side at a fixed elevation of 16 degrees. Gun
barrels were 55 feet (17 meters) long with the muzzles 15 feet (4.6
meters) above the deck 37 feet (11 meters) abaft the bow. In order to
train these weapons, the ship had to be aimed, like a gun, at its target.
Compressed air from a 1000 psi (70 atm) reservoir projected the shells
from the "dynamite guns." Two air compressors were available
to recharge the reservoir.

USS Vesuvius air chambers for the dynamite guns. The shells
fired from the guns were steel or brass casings 7 feet (2 meters) long
with the explosive contained in the conical forward part of the casing
and spiral vanes on the after part to rotate the projectile. The explosive
used in the shells themselves was actually a "desensitized blasting
gelatin" composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. It was
less sensitive to shock than regular dynamite but still sensitive enough
that compressed air, rather than powder, had to be utilized as the propellant.
Shells containing 550 pounds (250 kg) of explosive had a maximum range
of 1 mile (1.6 km), but range could be extended to 4000 yards (3.7 km)
by reducing projectile weight to 200 pounds (100 kg). Maximum muzzle
velocity was 800 feet (250 meters) per second. Range could be reduced
by releasing less compressed air from the reservoir. Ten shells per
gun were carried on board, and 15 shells were fired in 16 minutes 50
seconds during an 1889 test. The shells employed an electronic fuse
which could be set to either explode on contact or delayed to explode
underwater.

USS VESUVIUS History
View This Vessels DANFS
History Entry on the U.S. Navy Historical Center website.Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable To This ShipAdditional ResourcesHazegray & Underway
Cruiser Pages By Andrew Toppan.